Government to have 17 ministries

BISHNU RIMAL APPOINTED PM OLI’S CHIEF POLITICAL ADVISOR

KATHMANDU, Feb 23: A meeting of the Council of Minister on Friday has decided to reduce the number of ministries from 18 to 17, excluding the office of prime minister.

The meeting held at the Prime Minister’s official residence at Baluwatar took a decision to this effect, according to Minister for Population and Environment Lalbabu Pandit.

The UML is now holding a standing committee meeting to finalize candidate for ministers. The two left parties have agreed to allocate the ministerial portfolios on 60:40 ratio. As per the understanding, UML is likely to get 10 ministries out of 17 while Maoist Center will take the rest. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has already inducted two ministers into his cabinet from UML.

Likewise, the meeting has also decided to appoint Bishnu Rimal, the CPN-UML politburo member to the post of Chief Political Advisor of Prime Minister Oli.